Windsor Chair c. 1936

Ella Josephine Sterling made this Windsor Chair painting, and it's all about the subtle dance of watercolor, where the process feels gentle and considered. I love how the light seems to flow through the wooden chair. Look closely, and you'll see how the artist built up the color in thin, translucent layers, like whispers of brown and amber. There's a real softness to it, as if the chair itself is exhaling. It feels like the artist is meditating on the simple beauty of this everyday object, inviting us to slow down and appreciate the quiet dignity of the Windsor Chair. The surface has a smooth, matte finish, which gives the whole image a dreamlike quality, like a memory fading gently at the edges. It reminds me of some of Fairfield Porter's paintings, where he finds the extraordinary in the ordinary, reminding us that art is often about seeing the world with fresh eyes. In art, like in life, the real treasures are often hiding in plain sight.